Note: I do not own Les Mis, nor do I own the lyrics to "One Day More."
All is quiet in the mall's food court - or, as quiet as the mall food court can ever be. It is lunchtime, so most of the tables are full. An older man, perhaps in his late forties or fifties, glances up as the speakers begin to play soft piano music. Suddenly, he stands. "One day more," he sings. "Another day, another destiny/ This never-ending road to Calvary/ These men who seem to know my crime/ Will surely come a second time/ One day more…"
A young man a few tables away suddenly stands on his chair. "I did not live until today," he sings in a rich tenor. "How can I live when we are parted?"
"One day more," the first man sings. People are beginning to stare and the food court has quieted.
"Tomorrow you'll be worlds away," the young man continues, joined by a young woman three tables down from him. "And yet with you, my world has started."
Another young woman stands up, close to the young man. "One more day all on my own," she sings.
"Will we ever meet again?" wonder the young man and first young woman.
"One more day with him not caring," the second young woman continues.
"I was born to be with you!" the duet continues.
"What a life I might have known," the young woman sings sadly.
"And I swear I will be true," sing the other two.
"But he never saw me there…" she finishes, stepping down from her chair.
"One more day before the storm!" sings a strong tenor from over by the Chinese place - another young man, in a red jacket, who is actually standing on his table.
"Do I follow where she goes?" muses the first young man.
"At the barricades of freedom!" the dramatic one continues.
"Shall I join my brothers there?" the lovestruck one asks.
"When our ranks begin to fall," the second's strident tenor warns.
"Do I stay; do I dare?" cries the first.
"Will you take your place with me?" the second finishes, raising his hands in the air. There is some scattered applause.
Then at least ten more people stand. "The time is now, the day is here!" they chorus.
"One day more!" It is the first man again, the older one, still going strong.
"One day more to revolution, we will nip it in the bud," sings a man in a police uniform that everyone thought was part of mall security. "We'll be ready for these schoolboys, they will wet themselves with blood!"
"Watch 'em run amok," sings a man in his late thirties or forties, standing.
"Catch 'em as they fall," replies a woman at the next table over.
"Never know your luck when it's a free-for-all!" they chorus.
"Here a little dip," sings the man.
"There a little touch," sings the woman.
"Most of them are goners so they won't miss much!" they both sing.
"One day to a new beginning," one half of the food court sings.
"Raise the flag of freedom high!" the other half replies.
"Every man will be a king."
"Every man will be a king!"
"There's a new world for the winning."
"There's a new world to be won!"
"Do you hear the people sing?" they chorus. Those not singing are staring, smiling, laughing. Phones are out, recording.
"My place is here; I fight with you!" cries the first young man, standing on his table with a fist in the air.
"One day more!" sings the first man, with passion.
Then the food court dissolves into overlapping, complementary parts. The policeman's voice is clearly heard, as is the older couple's.
The cacophony resolves itself, suddenly - "Tomorrow we'll discover what our God in heaven has in store/ One more dawn/ One more day/ One day more…!"
When the last note ends, there is a moment of silence before the food court breaks into thunderous applause and spontaneous cheers. The singers all take a single bow, then get down from where they were standing and leave quietly, continuing their day at the mall. Only the first man stays.
"Next time," he says to himself as people crowd around him, "we'll do a smaller venue."
A/N: So, just a random oneshot. I'm not sure this is fanfiction, per se. I just liked the thought of a food court flashmob doing "One Day More." And then, of course, I went on a Youtube flashmob kick... Oh well.